Կ ո լ ո լ ա կ ո վ ա պ ո ւ ր
If your restaurant is always busy, does it need a name? Stepan Garaghanyan doesn’t think so. He’s run his always-busy Yerevan lunch spot on Marx Street next door to the tax authority for nearly a decade without one. Whenever we’ve gone for lunch, a clientele of tough-looking guys hunched over bowls of soup sat in contrast to the delicate decor: a china cabinet in the back and oil paintings lining the walls. John thinks these guys come because Garaghanyan’s no-name restaurant specializes in food that tastes like Mom made it, and that theory might not be too far off—apart from Stepan, the restaurant has an all-female cast. Manager Angela Sahakyan takes orders and delivers plates to tables while Anahit Manukyan, a former post office manager, runs the kitchen. Manukyan always makes soup, including Spas (page 102) and this recipe.
One yellow onion is used in two places here—the meatball mix and the broth. Homemade chicken broth makes a great base for this soup, though the restaurant simply adds bouillon to water. If using bouillon instead of chicken broth, cut the amount of salt added to the soup in half; you can always add more salt later if you’d like.
Serves 4
1 lb [455 g] lean ground beef
1/4 cup [50 g] long-grain white rice
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
2 Tbsp chopped dill
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
SOUP
1 Tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral oil
3/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
8 cups [2 L] chicken broth or water
1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into coins
1 red bell or Anaheim pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup [10 g] chopped dill
1/4 cup [10 g] chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
Opal basil leaves, torn (optional)
Ground black pepper
To make the meatballs, oil a large plate. In a large bowl, using your hands, thoroughly mix the meat, rice, onion, egg, dill, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. The mixture will feel sticky at first. Roll the mixture into 12 balls and transfer to the prepared plate. (To make it easier to shape the meatballs, wet your hands with water as you work.)
To make the soup, in a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Stir in the salt and paprika and cook for 30 more seconds. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the water one by one to prevent them from sticking together. Bring the soup to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium-low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add the potato and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the rice inside the meatball is nearly all the way cooked (you can cut one of the meatballs in half to check). Add the carrot and bell pepper, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
To serve, bring to a simmer. Ladle into bowls, serving 3 meatballs per person. Sprinkle each serving with dill, cilantro, and basil, if using, and finish with a pinch of black pepper. Extra soup keeps, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
